Samsung Galaxy S9 is tougher than iPhone X, but still breaks with one drop

Samsung says that its new Galaxy S9 smartphone has been designed for “enhanced durability,” but just how durable is it? And, perhaps more importantly to Apple fans, how does it stack up against the iPhone X?

Those question are answered in a new drop test video created by insurance company SquareTrade. In a variety of tests — ranging from back-down drops to tumbles — the new Galaxy S9 is put through its paces to test just how tough it actually is. Check out the video below.

SquareTrade ultimately concludes that the Galaxy S9 is more durable than both its predecessor, the Galaxy S8, and Apple’s iPhone X. Despite that, it still broke on its first drop — suffering what SquareTrade calls “extensive damage” during testing.

On the back-down drop test from six feet, the Galaxy S9 shattered and suffered multiple cracks. The Galaxy S9 Plus performed worse than that, since the phone had loose glass after the six foot plunge. A face-first drop, meanwhile, caused hairline cracks and loose glass for Galaxy S9, and a shattered screen and starburst cracks for the S9 Plus.

Following the tumble test, the Galaxy S9 and its larger Galaxy S9 Plus sibling suffered corner damage and front and back hairline cracks. For the pressure test, the S9 bent after 230 lbs of pressure, while the S9 Plus did the same after 210 lbs.

SquareTrade gave the Galaxy S9 an overall breakability score of 71, or medium risk. The Galaxy S9 Plus was given a medium-to-high risk score of 76. That compares with a breakability score of 90 for the iPhone X. Hey, maybe there’s something Apple could take from the new Samsung Galaxy phone after all…